Feeder apparatus for mail sorting machines



@m, 4, 93. J. MILLER FEEDER APPARATUS FOR MAIL SORTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1 936 5 Sheets-Sheet l Eggs/4,

v Q Joseph Miller INVENTOR ATTORNEY J. MILLER v fi FEEDER APPARATUS FOR MAIL SORTING MACHINES @ch 4 M38.

Filed Oct. 26, 1936. 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jo ae/goh Mj/Me/r ATTORN EY Oct 4, 19% v J. MILLER mamm FEEDER APPARATUS FOR MAIL SORTING MACHINES Filed 00f. 26, 1956 5 Sheets-Shaet 3 das'eph/ 622m INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHCE FEEDER. APPARATUS FOR MAIL SORTING MACHINES 1 Claim.

This invention relates to mail distributing machines and more particularly to improvements for the type of machine set forth in the United States Patent Number 1,868,243, and has for the primary object the provision of a simple and efli cient mechanism which will positively feed letters singly from the magazine through the letter passages of the machine to the various letter chutes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved means for selectively directing letters to the letter chutes from the letter passages and which also actuates the letter feeding mechanism.

With these and other objects in view, this in- ,5 vention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention,

20 reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan View illustrating a letter distributing machine having various improvements and which improvements form the subject matter of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing the cancellator.

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the cancellator.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 showing the letter feeding mechanism.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 35 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1--1 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan view showing one of the chutes and the gates thereof occupy- 40 ing chute closing position.

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 showing the gates in an open position.

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary plan View showing means for permitting the letters one at a time to leave the magazine by the letter feeding mechanism.

Figure 11 is a plan view showing the position occupied by a letter when traveling fromthe magazine to one of the chutes.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral l indicates a power driven wheel of the mail distributing machine and the periphery thereof is surrounded by the usual cylinder 2 which is spaced from the periphery to form the annular letter passage 3 leading to the Various letter chutes 4 from the letter magazine 5. The wheel above referred to is driven in any well known manner from a power source (not shown) and forms no part of the present invention.

This structure is common in the patent hereto- 1 fore referred to and it is to be understood that each chute has a letter box as set forth in said patent and that the letters when placed in the magazine will be positioned so that the name and address is upside down, as shown in Figure 11 and in order that the letters may be read with ease a magnifying glass 6 is supported adjacent the magazine so that the end letter of a stack of letters in the magazine may be read through the glass whereby the name and address will appear right-side-up. The glass'6 issupported by the letter feeding mechanism which will be hereinafter more fully described.

Supported by the cylinder 2 is a cancellator 1 including a support 9, an arm [0 pivoted to said support and carrying an arcuate cancellator head II operable through a slot in the cylinder so that it will frictionally contact with a letter as the latter traveLs through the letter passage 3 for the purpose of canceling the stamp. The cylinder supports an ink supply medium l2 in the path of movement of the cancellator head ll so as to apply ink thereto after each cancellation of a letter. A spring I3 is connected tothe support 9 and to an extension l4 formed on the arm ID for the purpose of returning the cancellator head II to its initial position after the cancellation of a letter. It is to be understood that the passing of a letter through the passage 3 causes the cancellator to swing on its pivot and as the letter passes the cancellator the latter returns to its initial position by the spring 13, first having ink applied to the head thereof by the medium l2. A pressure plate I5 is located in the passage 3 to cause the letters as they pass in contact with the cancellator to bear upon the head thereof with sufficient force that the ink will be applied to the stamps. The pressure plate at one end extends out of the passage 3 and is secured to a wall of the magazine 5 so that the latter acts as a support for the pressure plate. The periphery of the wheel I is grooved to receive a cushion strip l6 which bears against the letters and also against the pressure plate. This cushion strip is clearly shown in Figure 2, and it establishes an eflicient frictional drive-between the wheel I and the letters so that the letters will be carried through the passage 3 from the magazine to the letter chute.

Each chute 4 has pivotally mounted gates I! and I8 and the gates are connected to a pivotally mounted operating lever I!) by links 20. The links 20 are connected at opposite sides of the operating lever so that the gates I! are caused to move outwardly of the chute across the passage 3, while the gate I8 will be caused to move inwardly of the chute during the pivotal movement of the operating lever. The gates when in open position will direct the letter from the passage 3 into, the chute due to the gate I'l extending across the passage and the gate t8 opening inwardly of *the chute.

A letter feeding and gate operating mechanism 2| is located adjacent the magazine and includes a plurality of keys 1-2 2, athere being a key for each chute or the gates thereof. The

keys include journal portions 23 which are free to rotate on a supporting shaft '24 and each journal includes clutch teeth, Arms 25 :are formed on the journal portions and these arms are connected to the operating levers t9 bypivotally mounted bell {cranks 26 and connecting rods 21 so that upon pressing a key the gates of a certain chute will be opened for the purpose of directing a .letter into that chute from the passage 3.

Clutch elements 2'! are secured to the shaft Z l and coact with the clutch teeth of the journal portions 23 of the keys so that whenever any-key is depressed the shaft v24 will receive rotation. An arm 28 is secured to the shaft and is operatively connected to a shaft 29, as shown at 3.0, and which shaft forms a part of the letter feeding mechanism. The shaft 29 rotatably supports and has secured thereto an :overrunning clutch 3|. The drive element of theclutch is indicated by the character 32 and the driven element by the character 33. Ball grooves (34 are provided in the drive element 32 in which :are positioned balls 35 which frictionally contact the driven element 33. The grooves .eachdecreases in depth towards one end so that the drive element 32 will rotate the driven element 33 during rotation of the drive element in one direction. However, the rotation of the drive {element in an opposite direction permits the driven element to remain idle. Secured to the driven element is a drive gear .36 which enters the magazine 5 and also the letter passage 3 for the purpose of contacting the end letter ofthe group of letters in the magazine to force said end letter to move from the magazine into the passage 3 and past the cancellator 1.

A series of superimposed spring fingers 3! are located at the discharge end of the hopper or magazine 5 and progressively vary as to length so that the letters in the grooves when contacted by said fingers will be shifted laterally of each other to position edges thereof in stepped formation. The fingers bearing against the edges of the .letterswill retain said letters grouped so that the feeding gear 36 contacting the outermost letter of the group will only feed that letter from the magazine to the passage 3 during a single operation of the letter feeding mechanism,

to be understood that after a letter passes the feeding mechanism its movement through the passage 3 is caused by the rotation of the Wheel.

Having described the invention, I claim:

In-amail distributing machine, a power driven wheel, a cylinder surrounding said wheel and cooperating therewith to provide a letter passage, a plurality of letter chutes communicating with the passage, a letter magazine communicating with the passage, a pair of pivotally mounted gates for, each chute and one gate adapted to swing inwardly of the chute for opening the latter and the other gate adapted to swing outwardly of the chute and traverse the letter passage for directing the letter from the passage .to the chute, a plurality of manually actuated keys, means connecting said keys to the gates whereby upon operation :of anyone of the keys, the gates of a selected chute will be'opened and closed, a rotatably supported shaft forming a journal for said keys, clutch means between said shaft and the keys whereby on the actuation of any one of the keys rotation will be imparted to the shaft, a second shaft rotated by the first shaft, an :overrunningclutch secured to the secondwshaft, a feeding disc secured to the overrunning clutch for singly feeding letters from the magazine to said passage, a series of superimposed resilient fingers'secured to the magazine L each contacting a letter of the magazine to cooperate with the feeding-disc in' permitting letters to pass singly from the magazine to the passage.

- JOSEPH MILLER. 

